Falun
Gong member commits suicide (08/13/2001)
The Associated Press reported on August 13, 2001 that a shoe shiner
obsessed by the teachings of the outlawed Falun Gong cult committed
suicide by setting himself on fire Friday, the sixth self-immolation
in Beijing in under a month.
Tan Yihui, 25, poured gasoline over himself and ignited it on a
street in western Beijing. By the time police arrived minutes later
and put out the fire, he was already dead.
"He tipped the can over his head, ignited it with a lighter
and burst into flames," state television quoted a man identified
as a witness as saying. Television showed officers covering a charred
corpse with a white body bag and zipping it up.
The reported suicide comes as China's government intensifies its
19-month campaign to eradicate Falun Gong.
A group suicide attempt by five purported Falun Gong followers
who set fire to themselves on Tiananmen Square last month prompted
a fresh wave of government condemnation of the group. State media
seized upon the incident as proof of government claims that Falun
Gong is an evil cult and to whip up public support for the crackdown
in which thousands of sect followers have been imprisoned.
Liu Chunling, 36, died, and her 12-year-old daughter, Liu Siying,
was among the four others seriously injured in the Jan. 23 group
suicide attempt, state media said. Two others who planned to take
part were stopped by police before they could set themselves ablaze,
state media said.
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